1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for loading a disk into a disk loading apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mechanism for loading an optical disk cartridge into an optical disk cartridge loading apparatus in which a cartridge type removable optical-magnetic disk accommodating an optical-magnetic disk in a cartridge is used. This cartridge type removable optical-magnetic disk will be referred to as an optical disk cartridge in this specification, hereinafter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the processing capacity and processing rate of personal computers have been increased, and also the size of the operating system and application software and the amount of data to be processed have increased. In the above circumstances, it is required to reduce the size of storage and further it is required to reduce the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, there is a strong demand to increase the capacity and processing rate of storage.
In order to meet the requirements of reducing the size and manufacturing cost and increasing the capacity and processing rate, the optical disk drive apparatus has come into wide use so that it can be used as storage. As an optical disk to be used in this optical disk drive apparatus, there is provided an optical disk cartridge in which an optical disk is accommodated in a cartridge. As the optical disk drive apparatus, in which the optical disk cartridge is used, has come into common use, there are requirements of toughness of the apparatus structure, stability of the apparatus performance, enhancement in the reliability and reduction in the manufacturing cost.
In this connection, the optical disk cartridge is composed in such a manner that an optical disk is accommodated in a case made of plastic. When the optical disk cartridge is used, it is inserted into the optical disk drive apparatus, and a shutter provided in the case is opened, so that a portion of the optical disk can be exposed. Consequently, when the optical disk cartridge is inserted into the optical disk drive apparatus or ejected from the optical disk drive apparatus, the shutter must be opened and closed. Therefore, problems may be caused when the shutter is opened and closed. Accordingly, there is a requirement for solving the above problems.
Concerning the stability of the optical disk cartridge with respect to a base of the cartridge drive apparatus after the optical disk cartridge has been inserted into the optical disk drive apparatus, the stability of the optical disk cartridge may be deteriorated unless an operator handles the optical disk cartridge appropriately. For the above reasons, when the operator loads the optical disk cartridge into the optical disk drive apparatus, it is necessary for him to handle the optical disk cartridge appropriately so that it can be smoothly inserted into the mechanism of the optical disk drive apparatus. Further, it is desired that the manufacturing cost of this mechanism is low.
Referring to a specific example, this will be explained as follows.
In general, the following mechanisms are provided in a conventional optical disk cartridge loading mechanism used for loading an optical disk cartridge into an optical disk drive apparatus.
(1) A mechanism for opening a shutter of the optical disk cartridge when the optical disk cartridge is inserted into the optical disk drive apparatus
(2) A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the alignment of the optical disk cartridge when the optical disk cartridge has been set on the base of the optical disk drive apparatus
(3) A mechanism for elevating a spindle motor and connecting it with the optical disk cartridge, which has been set on the base of the optical disk drive apparatus and the shutter of which has been opened, and the mechanism for rotating the optical disk
According to the prior art described in the above item (1) in which there is provided a mechanism for opening a shutter of the optical disk cartridge, a member for opening and closing the shutter of the cartridge is formed into a roller-shape having two flanges attached to a rotary shaft. These two flanges are arranged on both sides of a guide groove formed on a plate (cartridge holder) which is also used as a cartridge guide. Therefore, while the opening and closing member is rotating, it can move along the guide groove. Commonly, two flanges of the opening and closing member and the rotary shaft are made of resin, and a shaft portion of the rotary shaft has a spring holding section for holding a spring which generates power when the opening and closing member returns along the guide groove. The spring holding section of the opening and closing member is circular and rotates in the case of movement. Therefore, the burr generated in the process of molding is removed from the flanges by means of machining. Further, the diameter of the shutter opening and closing member is made small so that it can enter a recess for holding the opening and closing member which appears at an end portion of the cartridge when the shutter of the optical disk cartridge is fully opened.
Since the height of the optical disk drive apparatus is limited, only a small clearance is allowed for the height of the guide frame of the optical disk cartridge with respect to the thickness of the cartridge. In the clearance, the flange portion of the shutter opening and closing member is accommodated. The above mechanism for opening and closing the shutter of the optical disk cartridge is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 7-37312 and 7-73559.
In the prior art of the position adjusting mechanism, described in the above item (2), for adjusting an alignment in the case of setting the optical disk cartridge onto the base, there are provided alignment pins for positioning the cartridge on both sides of the spindle motor mounting base. On a bottom surface of the optical disk cartridge, there are provided long circular holes for positioning the optical disk cartridge, and these long circular holes are used as reference holes. Accordingly, end portions of the alignment pins are formed into a tapered shape so that they can be easily inserted into two reference holes formed on the bottom surface of the cartridge.
In general, both alignment pins are arranged symmetrically with respect to the inserting direction of the optical disk cartridge. When the optical disk cartridge has been set on the base of the optical disk drive apparatus and a turn table of the spindle motor has been connected with a chucking hub of the optical disk, that is, when chucking of the cartridge has been completed, usually, the alignment pins are inserted into the reference holes of the cartridge while the alignment pins slide on the inside surfaces of the reference holes. After the completion of chucking of the cartridge, it is held as it is while a frictional state is maintained. These alignment pins of the optical disk cartridge are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-17121.
According to the moving mechanism of the spindle motor of the prior art described in the above item (3), the slide plate is moved in accordance with the insertion of the optical disk cartridge into the optical disk drive apparatus and, according to the movement of the slide plate, a spindle motor mounting base (spindle motor elevating plate) is elevated by being guided by an oblique groove formed on a load plate moved synchronously with the slide plate. The moving mechanism of the spindle motor is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-17121.
However, the following problems may be encountered in the mechanism of the prior art described in the above items (1) to (3).
1. The flange of the opening and closing member is thin and circular. Therefore, when two opening and closing members are arranged in parallel and moved in the guide grooves of the two opening and closing members in accordance with the insertion of the optical disk cartridge, there is a possibility that both opening and closing members interfere with other. In the worst case, they jam and it becomes impossible to return to the initial state.
2. After the flange of the opening and closing member has been formed by means of molding, it is subjected to a machining process to remove a burr from the flange. Therefore, it takes labor in the manufacturing process. A shaft portion of the opening and closing member is composed of two parts so that the spring can be held and the shaft portion can be set in a recess of the optical disk cartridge. Accordingly, the number of parts is large. Further, the diameter of the shaft portion is small because the outer diameter is restricted. Consequently, there is a possibility of lack of the mechanical strength in an abnormal condition.
3. A flange of the opening and closing member on the cartridge side is formed into a thin disk because of the restriction on the space between the cartridge and the cartridge holder and also because of maintaining the mechanical strength at a predetermined value. Therefore, when the cartridge holder is inserted into the holder while a front end of the cartridge is pressed against the cartridge holder, the flange of the opening and closing member first comes into contact with the shutter arm of the cartridge. Accordingly, problems may be caused in the movement of opening the shutter.
4. When the front end portions of the two alignment pins of the spindle motor 2 are formed into a tapered shape, if the cartridge is obliquely inserted, the reference hole does not pass completely over the tapered surface of the alignment pin. Therefore, the cartridge is inserted incompletely.
5. It is common that a detection switch for detecting the cartridge is mounted on the spindle motor mounting base and one of the alignment pins is arranged on the side of the detection switch. In this case, when the cartridge is obliquely inserted and the detection switch is pushed, the alignment pin on the detection switch side can be easily inserted into the reference hole, however, it is difficult for the alignment pin on the opposite side to enter the reference hole. Since the cartridge has already been detected by the detection switch in this case, the spindle motor is rotated although the cartridge is not set in a normal condition.
6. In order to press the spindle motor against the hub of the cartridge that has been inserted into the apparatus, on the loading plate that moves in accordance with the insertion of the cartridge into the optical disk drive apparatus, there is provided an oblique surface for elevating a pin arranged on the elevating plate on which the spindle motor is mounted, and this oblique surface is bent into an L-shape from the loading plate. However, when the elevating plate is lifted upward, an unequal lifting force is caused between the start point and the end point of the oblique surface due to the influence of the mechanical strength on the front end side of the oblique surface and due to the clearance with the pin on the elevating plate side guided by the oblique surface. Due to the above unequal lifting force, the spindle motor cannot be normally lifted.
7. When the cartridge has been completely inserted into the apparatus, it is necessary for an upper surface of the elevating plate to come into contact with the reference base surface of the apparatus. Since a frictional force acts on a surface between the alignment pin and the side of the reference hole of the cartridge, it is necessary to give a force stronger than this frictional force acting on the surface in order to return it to the initial position when the elevating plate is separated from the reference base surface of the apparatus by the influence of vibration or shock. When this necessary force is not given, the elevating plate is maintained in a state in which it is separated from the reference base plate. Therefore, the spindle motor is rotated while being inclined, and the optical disk may be damaged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for loading an optical disk into a disk drive apparatus in which the problems described in the above items 1 to 7 can be solved.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a mechanism for loading a disk cartridge into a disk drive apparatus in which a removable disk cartridge is loaded into a disk drive apparatus comprises: an opening and closing means for automatically opening a shutter when the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive apparatus and acts on a shutter opening and closing arm of the cartridge; an elevating plate on which a spindle motor for rotating a disk in the cartridge is mounted and also on which alignment pins inserted into two reference holes formed in the cartridge are mounted; and an elevating means for moving the elevating plate to the cartridge side in accordance with the insertion of the cartridge into the disk drive apparatus, wherein a front end portion of the first alignment pin inserted into a long hole, which is one of the two reference holes provided on the bottom surface side of the cartridge, is tapered, and only a front end portion of the second alignment pin, which is inserted into a circular hole, on the opposite side to the first alignment pin is curved.
In a mechanism for loading a disk cartridge into a disk drive apparatus according to the first aspect, the positions of the surfaces of the first and the second alignment pin on the front surface side of the disk drive apparatus can be shifted from each other by a predetermined distance with respect to a line perpendicular to the inserting direction of the cartridge. In this case, the position of the surface of the second alignment pin on the front surface side can be located on the front side in the inserting direction of the cartridge with respect to a position of the surface of the first alignment pin on front side.
According to the loading mechanism of the first aspect, whatever the posture of the cartridge may be, the first and the second alignment pin can be engaged with the reference holes of the cartridge due to the shapes of the front end portions of the first and the second alignment pin. Due to the shapes of the front end portions of the first and the second alignment pin, it is possible to eliminate an incomplete insertion of the alignment pin into the end surface of the reference hole of the cartridge. As a result, even if the cartridge leans to one side or is inserted obliquely due to the clearance between the cartridge holder and the cartridge, the first and the second alignment pin can be positively engaged with the reference holes of the cartridge.
Since the second alignment pin is offset toward the entrance of the apparatus compared with the first alignment pin, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a case in which only the second alignment pin on the cartridge sensor side is engaged with the cartridge when the alignment pins are engaged with the reference holes of the cartridge.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, a mechanism for loading a disk cartridge into a disk drive apparatus in which a removable disk cartridge is loaded into a disk drive apparatus comprises: an opening and closing means for automatically opening a shutter when the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive apparatus and acts on a shutter opening and closing arm of the cartridge; an elevating plate on which a spindle motor for rotating a disk in the cartridge is mounted and also on which alignment pins inserted into two reference holes formed in the cartridge are mounted; and an elevating means for moving the elevating plate to the cartridge side in accordance with the insertion of the cartridge into the disk drive apparatus, wherein a member for opening and closing the shutter of the cartridge is composed of first and second opening and closing pieces which slide in a guide groove provided in a guide frame forming a portion of the passage into which the cartridge is inserted, and also composed of torsion springs which urge these pieces to an insertion port side of the cartridge, the first opening and closing piece is provided with a shaft portion, with which one end of the torsion spring is engaged, and also provided with two flanges which interpose the guide groove, the opening and closing second piece is provided with a shaft portion, with which one end of the torsion spring is engaged, and also provided with two flanges which interpose the guide groove, and a portion of the flanges of the second opening and closing piece is provided with a connecting section for connecting these flanges to the outer circumferential portion in the vertical direction.
In a mechanism for loading a disk cartridge into a disk drive apparatus according to the second aspect, the first and the second opening and closing piece are made of resin by means of molding, and hooking slits for hooking the torsion springs to restrict the rotation of the opening and closing pieces with respect to the guide groove are formed on the sides of the shaft portions. In this case, parting lines of metallic dies of the first and the second opening and closing piece made of resin by means of molding are arranged in a direction in which the connecting section is formed, and parting lines remaining in the first and the second opening and closing piece are arranged in a direction in which the guide groove is formed. Further, the flanges of the second opening and closing piece can be formed square. Portions, in which the flanges of the first and the second opening and closing piece are moved, of the guide frame around the guide groove are formed into a recess, which is made hollow onto an opposite side to the cartridge, by means of drawing of sheet metal forming, and the depth of this recess is larger than the thickness of the flanges of the first and the second opening and closing piece. Further, the shaft portion of the first piece for opening and closing is provided with an engaging protrusion for engaging with the arm for opening and closing the shutter of the cartridge, and the shaft portion is accommodated in a groove which appears in a front end portion of the cartridge when the arm for opening and closing the shutter is opened to the maximum.
According to the loading mechanism of the second aspect, the two opening and closing pieces are integrally molded. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and enhance the productivity. Further, it is possible to prevent the two opening and closing pieces from coming into contact with and running on each other. Accordingly, the operation of the opening and closing mechanism can be stabilized. When the two opening and closing pieces are molded from resin, the parting line of the metallic mold is set in a direction of the connecting section of the flanges of the opening and closing pieces, that is, the parting line of the metallic mold is set in a direction of the center of the guide groove. Due to the foregoing, the influence of burr on the parting line can be avoided. Further, the engaging protrusion for engaging with the arm for opening and closing the shutter of the cartridge is provided in the shaft portion of the first opening and closing piece. Accordingly, when the shutter is opened, the arm for opening and closing the shutter can be positively engaged with the shaft portion. Therefore, the operation of opening and closing can be stabilized. Further, since the flange of the second opening and closing piece is formed square, it is difficult for the flange portion to separate from a rear end of the guide groove.
According to the loading mechanism of the third aspect of the present invention, a mechanism for loading a disk cartridge into a disk drive apparatus in which a removable disk cartridge is loaded into a disk drive apparatus comprises: an opening and closing means for automatically opening a shutter when the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive apparatus and acts on a shutter opening and closing arm of the cartridge; an elevating plate on which a spindle motor for rotating a disk in the cartridge is mounted and also on which alignment pins inserted into two reference holes formed in the cartridge are mounted; and an elevating means for moving the elevating plate to the cartridge side in accordance with the insertion of the cartridge into the disk drive apparatus, wherein the elevating plate has two sets of guide pins arranged symmetrically with each other in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the cartridge, the slide plate of the elevating means has oblique surfaces, two of the oblique surfaces are arranged on the right and the other two of the oblique surfaces are arranged on the left, the oblique surfaces respectively lift the guide pins when the slide plate is moved, and starting points of the oblique surfaces are shifted in the longitudinal direction with respect to the inserting direction of the cartridge.
In the loading mechanism of the third aspect, the starting points of the two oblique surfaces on the side of the long reference hole formed on the bottom surface of the cartridge are shifted to the inside of the disk drive apparatus with respect to the two oblique surfaces on the side of the circular reference hole. An extending portion is formed on the elevating plate on the front side of the disk drive apparatus, and a magnet for attracting the extending portion is arranged in a casing of the disk drive apparatus at a position opposed to the extending portion under the condition that the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive apparatus.
According to the loading mechanism of the third aspect, the oblique surfaces for lifting the spindle motor, provided on both sides of the elevating plate, are shifted in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, it is possible to conduct correction with respect to play and deflection caused during sliding on the elevating plate. The two oblique surfaces provided on the bottom surface of the cartridge on the long reference hole side are offset to the inside of the optical disk drive apparatus with respect to the two oblique surfaces arranged close to the writing protect tab on the circular hole side. Accordingly, in the case of the sliding of the slide plate, the oblique slide plate can be corrected. Further, the first alignment pin to be positively engaged with the long reference hole is lifted first. As a result, the second alignment pin arranged on the elevating plate close to the cartridge detection sensor is lifted after the first alignment pin has been lifted. Consequently, there is no possibility that only the second alignment pin is engaged. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a problem that the cartridge is detected and the motor is rotated in an incomplete chucking condition of the optical disk. In this way, the optical disk can be protected, and further chucking can be stably conducted by the spindle motor.
In addition, when the magnet is arranged below the extending portion of the elevating plate on which the spindle motor is mounted on the base side of the optical disk drive apparatus, the elevating plate, which is a magnetic substance, can be stably set on the base of the optical disk drive apparatus.
In this connection, the loading mechanisms of the first to the third embodiment may be combined with each other in the optical disk drive apparatus.